Manchester City will seek to return to winning ways when they travel to Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, a match that might serve to precede a Premier League rivalry between Ruben Amorim and Pep Guardiola.
Amorim will lead Sporting at Estadio Jose Alvalade for the final time, with the weekend trip to his former club Braga his last at the helm before taking the reins at Manchester United.
That brings him into close proximity with Guardiola and Amorim will be the fifth Red Devils coach to pit his wits against the Catalan in a Manchester derby after Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag when United visit the Etihad Stadium on December 15.
Whether or not Guardiola vs. Amorim becomes a longer-term rivalry depends on whether or not the City manager opts to extend his current contract beyond the end of this season. The 53-year-old penned his previous two extensions during the November international break. This season’s November interlude begins next week so a decision could be close at hand.
Of more immediate concern to Guardiola is the injury-hit squad that lost 2-1 at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup last week before suffering defeat by the same scoreline at Bournemouth on Saturday — City’s first Premier League reverse since last September.
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Sporting CP vs. Manchester City lineups, confirmed starting 11, team news
Like City, Sporting are unbeaten in the Champions League this season having taken seven points from their opening three matches. Amorim will seek to extend that impressive record with a relatively clean bill of health.
Young defender Eduardo Quaresma (muscular) has recovered to take place on the bench. Long-term victim Nuno Santos (knee) is the only absentee.
All eyes will be on Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, whose incredible return of 20 goals in just 16 appearances across all competitions this season sets up a mouthwatering Scandinavian showdown with Erling Haaland.
Sporting CP (3-4-3, right to left): Israel (GK) — Reis, Diomande, Debast — Quenda, Morita, Hjulmand, Araujo —Trincao, Gyokeres, Goncalves
Injured: SantosSuspended: None
Haaland bagged a brace in City’s previous Champions League match against Sparta Prague but has only found the net once in his past five Premier League outings.
That can be attributed in part to some of his main creative allies being sidelined, most notably Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgium playmaker was an unused substitute at Bournemouth and is on the bench again.
De Bruyne’s compatriot Jeremy Doku came back from his own injury absence with a cameo at the weekend but fellow winger Savinho gets the nod to start in Lisbon.
Guardiola’s defence has been hit by injuries to Ruben Dias (muscular) and John Stones (foot), meaning full debut for Jahmai Simpson-Pusey a day after his 19th birthday at centre-bacl
Captain Kyle Walker played 90 minutes at the weekend despite barely training for three weeks and makes way for Rico Lewis at right-back.
Man City (3-4-3, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol — Silva, O’Riley, Nunes — Foden, Haaland, Doku
Injured: Dias, Stones, Grealish, Rodri, BobbSuspended: None
Sporting CP vs. Manchester City live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Champions League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
